So I've been away from Star Wars for quite some time, but a nostalgic feeling brought me back to playing KOTOR II. Afterwards, I got inspired by a story which developed in my mind, and now... here it is: Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic III: Malachor's Revange!

This fanfic is set somewhat ninety years after the events of Kotor II. The prologue may lead to many questions, but that was my intention. In later chapters, the entire prologue will be explained and eventually the events of that day, may seem not so innocent at all...

Peace stretches from one corner of the GALAXY to the other. The GALACTIC REPUBLIC, is facing a time of STABILITY and economical WELFARE.
Ninety years after the DARK WARS, the JEDI have reestablished their presence on CORUSCANT, and serve the galaxy once more as the GUARDIANS OF PEACE.
Yet rumors about a small group of FORCE USERS, who cause some minor problems across the GALCTIC CAPITAL, can't be stopped. The question is... are these rumors only rumors?

Prologue
A man dressed in a simple but elegant senatorial dress, stood on the balcony of his luxurious apartment, over viewing the beautiful skyline of Coruscant. The sight always took his breath, the kilometers high skyscrapers, all the lights, the bustling of life all around him, and of course the Senate Dome, which he saw perfectly from his balcony.
The man, a Senator of the Galactic Republic, representing his home planet of Onderon, walked back inside, as the night had fallen, and the temperatures dropped. He sighed deeply as a nostalgic memory of Iziz settled down in his mind. Although Coruscant had become his home, the place he loved to be, Senator Al Dremar couldn't stop missing Iziz's marvelous architecture, the calm and harmonic atmosphere and of course the sight of Duxn high in the sky, a sight that surpassed everything...
He remembered how his grandfather used to tell, how the famed Jedi Exile, returned the peace back to Onderon, and gave Queen Talia a firm and good rule. As a child, he loved to hear about this Jedi Exile, how she fought bravely in the Mandalorian Wars, how she was exiled, and later how she ventured across the galaxy, falling from one adventure into another. Al Dremar couldn't help but smile at that thought, and looked through the window, letting out another deep and worried sigh...
He shook his head, as he couldn't be thinking of this now. Surely it was a nice thought, but he needed to stay focused, his mind sharp. He could feel his hour coming, and before he would die he needed to pass his knowledge over to his apprentice, better said his secret apprentice...
A group of senators were, in great secrecy, trained in the ways of the Force. Not only had they been taught to use the Force, but they also have been trained in the ways of the blade. Neither did the Republic, Senate or Jedi suspect any of this, Al Dremar knew that. All these senators were taught how to block their thoughts and how to mask their strong connection to the Force. The Jedi had no clue of what was happening right underneath their nose...
Al Dremar felt a shift in the Force... his apprentice... finally he had arrived. In secrecy, Al Dremar had taken the young human Jedi Padawan Krayus Hortar as his apprentice. Al wasn't the only one, however. Many of the force trained senators had corrupted some of the more skilled and impatient Padawans of the Jedi Order, and convinced them into joining their cause. It was not something done carelessly, but Al Dremar and his associates were highly skilled in the art of Stealth.
Al put his hand underneath the Senatorial Cloak he wore, and felt the cold heavy metal of his lightsaber. He took a deep breath once more, as a critical moment approached. Al had to betray his apprentice, for who he cared deeply, provoking him and therefore making him attack the Senator. Al had it planned carefully, thought of every word he would say, thought of every move he would make...
He heard the footsteps of his apprentice, and later how he pressed the doorbell. A zoom made Al open his eyes, and use the Force to automatically open the door. He felt the surprised emotion within his apprentice coming up, as he saw his master several meters away from the door. "Come in, Krayus..." Al said with his low but gentle voice.
He heard how the boots of his apprentice sounded on the floor, and how he slowly but firmly moved forward. "You wished to speak to me, my master?" Krayus said. Al restrained himself from all his emotions, made an emotionless face expression and turned to face his apprentice. "Yes, Krayus, we have a lot to talk about..." Al replied.
The black-haired, handsome ,sixteen years old Krayus Hortar, looked confused at Al. He frowned, and lowered his green eyes, as a token of respect, nodding slightly. "Very well, master. What is it that you wish to dis..." but Krayus wasn't allowed to finish his sentence, as Al Dremar drew his lightsaber, and pointed the blue colored hilt at his apprentice. Immediately Al felt Krayus getting afraid, confused, not sure if to draw his own saber, or to flee. "Haven't I taught you to make quick decisions?" he said while shaking his head in disapprove. "Never hesitate, be always sure of what to do next..." Al smiled dark. "Go always and everywhere, expecting anything to happen..." After he had finished talking, Al lowered his saber and looked emotionless again at Krayus. "The council has decided to act..." he said monotone. Krayus looked at his master with big eyes. "So the day has come, then? The Sit..." "Silence..." Al interrupted his apprentice for the second time, making a warning gesture with his hand. "I said, the Council has decided to act... act against the Jedi, not the Republic..." Krayus looked confused. "Master?" he asked. Al rolled with his eyes. "Open your eyes, Krayus. Don't you see that the Jedi are the real threat? The Republic is of no concern to the Council..." he lied, knowing Krayus wouldn't sense it. Krayus frowned, but put his hand on his lightsaber, just in case... "What do you mean, master?" he asked. Al looked at his apprentice with an emotionless face expression, but deep inside him he wished this day would never had come. He wished he could explain everything to Krayus, show him what really was going on, but he couldn't... there was more at stake. The wishes of the Council must be placed above his own, Al knew that all too well. "I think I spoke very clearly..." Al replied to Krayus' question. "The Republic is no longer a concern to the Council... Oh, I can see the question popping up in your mind... why? Well, let me tell you..." Al began. "Within six standard years, the Republic will collapse, not because of war, or financial problems... no. Simply, because it lacks the infrastructure to support itself. The blade that Darth Malak stabbed into the heart of the Republic, during the Jedi Civil War, caused a wound that bleeds still. Many tried to heal it: Revan, by confronting and defeating Malak and his Sith Empire, the Jedi Exile, by aiding planets and factions which were in dire need of help. Thanks to her, the surface of Telos IV blooms again, Dantooine has been almost restored to its former glory, and my home planet of Onderon is still in the Republic..." he continued. "But it wasn't enough, what they did, Revan and the Exile, was only prolonging the life of the Republic..." Al looked at his apprentice and smiled maliciously. "Maybe this goes unnoticed, but the Republic is now at its weakest point. Many of the politicians deny it, but the Republic is falling apart, and within six years, there shall be only a power vacuum left..." Al moved closer to his apprentice, making him stepping backwards and getting pressed to the wall, Al's blue lightsaber dangerously close to Krayus' chest. "And that is when the Sith will take control of the galaxy, not sooner, and not later..." Al finished. Krayus looked fearful at the tip of Al's saber, and swallowed. "But what has this to do with the Council acting against the Jedi?" he asked. Al laughed diminishing. "Everything! When the Jedi will be distracted, they will not sense her return... We will be able to operate safely, and bring her back to life, our mistress..." Krayus couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You want to bring her back to life! The lady of betrayal?!" Al gave a little nod, while smiling maliciously again. Krayus shook his head. "T-that... that is impossible! She..." Al interrupted him. "Nothing is impossible with the Force! Remember that lesson? Remember how I showed you Katarr, and what had taken place there?" Al looked angered at his apprentice. "Never underestimate, the power of the Dark Side, my apprentice, or it will teach you a lesson you shall never forget." Krayus looked down, realizing what was happening now. "So... then this is the end between us? You will betray me, because I'm a Jedi?" he asked pained. Al suffered from within, he couldn't watch his apprentice being so betrayed like this, but he didn't have any other choice, and nodded once more. "Yes... I will make it quick, you shall feel no pain..." Suddenly however, Al saw Krayus' face expression turned: from pained, to angered, from innocent, to hate. "You will not take my life!" he yelled and ignited his green lightsaber, attacking Al. He blocked Krayus' saber, and looked into his green eyes. "Then so be it..."
A fierce duel erupted, clearly in Krayus' favor. Al knew he had trained his apprentice well, well enough to do what he was intended to do. Al lied... The Council hadn't given any order, they didn't plan to act yet... They would still wait, for a time, in the shadows as they did for over three decades now. They would wait for Krayus to find his way to "the Sanctuary", and then, only then, would everything be set into motion.
Using the Ataru style, Al made a powerful flurry, and brought Krayus out of balance. This was his opportunity for a pause, as the final set of his plan needed to be executed. "You have fought well, my apprentice... Such strength... it would be a waste to dispose of that..." he said while breathing roughly. Krayus looked at him with clenched teeth, and stood lowered his saber. "Then let me join you! I'm ready to give myself entirely to the mistress!" he declared while falling onto his knees. Al knew he had succeeded, such devotion to the lady of betrayal... while only having heard of her, never even seen her... Al smiled pleased and dark at the same time, and looked down at Krayus. "Hmm, would you really want to join us? Join us fully? Betraying the Jedi, like I just betrayed you?" Al asked. Krayus nodded and bowed with his head. "Yes, with my whole body and soul..." Al smiled pleased again. "Good, very good... Then you will please the Council by dying! The echo of your death, surely will draw the Jedi's attention!" and directly after having said that, Al resumed the duel, focusing intensely on the bond that had developed between him and his apprentice, just like the bond of the Jedi Exile and her master, Kreia...
Krayus once more won the upper hand. Al knew the final moment had come, lowered his defense and submitted to the pain he felt, directly a second afterwards. With a single slash, Krayus cut off the left hand of his master. Al felt the shock and guilt coming up in Krayus, but he couldn't allow him to feel it... No, Krayus had to submit himself fully to the dark side, and let go of such feelings... "It is done... your training is complete..." Al said trying to suppress the pain. Krayus looked confused at him. "What?" Al looked pleased at his apprentice, and ignited his lightsaber again, holding it in his remaining hand. "I have taught you all I could, and now you have become stronger than me... Your training, it is finished..." Al answered. Krayus looked down, and frowned. "Then what must happen now?" Al hoped he would say this, and looked straight in his apprentice's eyes. "The apprentice, must kill the master, as is the way of the Sith. Strike me down! Gather all the feelings of hate, passion, lust and anger in you, and strike me down! Enjoy my death! Do it, and your path to the Dark Side will reach its final destination..." Al saw the hesitation in Krayus' eyes. He knew this would happen, so he had planned this out carefully... "Remember the bond between us, Krayus? The bond the Exile and Kreia shared as well? Do I have to remember you of the consequences of such a bond?" With pain in his heart, Al lowered the shielding of the bond, and let Krayus feel the pain Al felt right now. Krayus's face expression turned within seconds, and soon he groaned out in pain, holding his left hand. "Yes, my apprentice... That is the bond between us! If you will not kill me, then I shall do it myself and end both our lives! Could you leave behind such a shame? Such a disgrace to the Council?! Kill me now, kill me here, and you will be able to serve the Council!" Al shouted. Krayus looked begging at his master. "I can't kill you! I just can't!" Al closed his eyes, and sighed. He knew such a situation could occur, but Al was prepared for everything, even this... "So be it..." he said, and lifted his saber. He heard how Krayus yelled "no!", but it was too late, he already had stabbed himself through his stomach. The pain that went through him, was excruciating, but he was able to shield his apprentice from it, mostly... Krayus fell down on his hands, and gasped for breath. Al fell down on the ground, and looked at him. "This is how it must go, Krayus... I must die, for you... to live..." he whispered. Krayus crawled to him, and looked at his face. "Master... why?" Al smiled slightly, and gathered all his energy, to give his apprentice the last message. "Because you must lead the Sith, back to the galaxy... You must be the one, who will lead them to victory... Listen, listen carefully... The Jedi will discover it was you, who killed me... it has been taken care of... You will be captured, and sentenced, sentenced into exile. They will strip you from the Force, but..." Al coughed, he felt his death coming near. "... you, you will return to power, and bring her back..." Al saw the tears rolling down Krayus' cheeks. All had been set into motion now, he sensed the change in his apprentice, he sensed the change in the Force. Al never intended to create an echo, by the death of his apprentice, no... The echo would arise, with Al's own death. And then he felt his body let go, and Al breathed for the last time, breaking the bond between him and Krayus...
Krayus watched, as his master's eyes closed, and his lungs inhaled for the last time. He cried, for he cared deeply for his master, as a son cares for his father. Al had taught him everything he knew, guided him for so many years, and now he was no more... Then he felt it, that what Al wanted to create. A small echo swept through the Force, and certainly alerted the Jedi of Al's death. Within no time they would be here, and find Krayus... No, they wouldn't! Krayus won't let himself get captured! He looked at the dead body of his master for the last time, and fled, running as fast as he could. That, which Al hoped would happen, occurred now... In his haste not to get caught, Krayus forgot to take his lightsaber, leaving behind crucial evidence...

"C'mon pretty-face, show us what you got..." a drunk Chiss shouted throughout the bar, as Jaris Vamor, a seventeen years old human boy, kept barely standing, after having drunk already several Corellian Ale's.

"Yeah, you're the one who kept boasting about your endurance... Bottoms up!" an off-duty mercenary said while slamming a cup of Corellian Ale on the counter.

The entire bar started yelling and encouraging, as Jaris looked reluctantly at the cup. "What the hell have I been thinking..." he thought as he suppressed another feeling of vomiting. Eventually, after being slammed several times on his back, Jaris grabbed the cup and drank it all in one time. The entire bar erupted in cheers and laughing, as Jaris presented victoriously the empty cup. What an achievement...
Jaris Vamor was quite the troublemaker in the little, newly built town of Dreykin on the planet of Dantooine. Well, he didn't particularly walk down the criminal path, but whenever he appeared, one could be sure trouble would follow. If it wasn't a bar fight, then he would claim to be a trader, and sell non-existing goods to the folk visiting Dreykin. But hey, what could one expect from someone who had to make his own living since the age of fifteen, because his family out casted him...
Jaris didn't live all his live on Dantooine. He was actually the son of a wealthy and successful businessman, who owned and managed a large weapon plant on the planet of Ruan. Unfortunately, the Vamor family was very conservative, and when it turned out that Jaris wasn't only interested in the opposite sex, they literary threw him out of the family, denying him even his rightful inheritance. After that, Jaris immediately took the first best transport off Ruan, and ended up on Muunilinst, where he almost got thrown into jail, and afterwards came to Dantooine, to the little town of Dreykin.

Ten minutes after Jaris' oh-so great victory in the bar, he stood outside, near the garbage, puking... Luckily nobody saw him like this, it surely would have cost him his "bad-boy" image. When he felt there was nothing left to vomit, Jaris slowly stood up and overviewed the small town of Dreykin. Although it wasn't that large, the town had its charm, and of course the reputation to have many business opportunities, some even say more than they could give at Khoonda.
The town of Dreykin, was completed ten years ago, after facing a building period of forty years... The building process was constantly held up, because of the Republic's massive paperwork and some false financial complaints. Khoonda commissioned the construction of the city, as Dantooine faced a new build-up program. The program had been quite successful, as Dantooine had become a popular resort for traders, mercenary's and small-businessmen... and of course to people like Jaris, who would try to earn money in any way possible.
Jaris smiled slightly, as a warm breeze blew through his dark-blonde hair, slightly lifting his usually side-swept bang. He straightened his leather ribbed jacket, which he got from his father when he was fourteen, who had gotten it again from his father.
Qorus Vamor, Jaris' father, refused to ever speak about his father, and forbid Jaris to find out anything about him. Of course, like all rebellious teenagers did, Jaris didn't listen to his father and did some research in the family's digital library. He didn't find out much about his grandfather... only that he fought in the Mandalorian Wars, later also served in Revan's Special Ops during the Jedi Civil War, and at last ended up on Nar Shaddaa for a time... Other data was deleted, and by who? That was the big question Jaris asked himself even now...
Jaris never knew who his grandparents were or how they looked like. His parents were always so secretive about it. Jaris' mother told him once, just before his great secret was discovered, that he inherited his good-looks and character from his grandfather. Although Jaris was bisexual, he always knew how to act and talk with the women, and usually was very succesful with them, according to his mother this was also a trait his grandfather passed over to him.

Jaris took a deep breath and decided to go back to his small apartment in the lesser part of Dreykin. It was not much, but at least he had a roof over his head. When he turned however, suddenly he came to stand in front of a group of three men, and well, from the looks of them they looked just like thugs... The one who seemed to be the group leader, smiled foul and took a step forward.

"Jaris Vamor, right? I think we have a debt to settle..." he said while spitting on the ground.

Jaris tried to remain vigilant, and smiled friendly. "Guys, how nice to see you!" And this was the trouble that followed Jaris always.

How was it possible that these guys had tracked him all the way from Muunilinst to Dantooine!
Jaris was good in maintaining a poker face, so he looked at the thugs without letting them know how really afraid he was. The leader of the group thugs walked to Jaris while grabbing his blaster pistol and turning it around in his hand. He kept smiling foul, as he stood in front of Jaris.

"I have to admit you outsmarted us back on Muunilinst... Never knew you had so much brains... Still, I think I can say we did a good tracking job, didn't we, boys?" he said while looking back at the two other thugs.

Jaris looked at them as well, accidently blowing off his poker face.

"Now, now, Jaris... You don't have to be afraid. Give us back the creds for that piece of **** you sold me, and we'll be all fine..." The thug-leader continued.
Yeah, easier said than done... Jaris didn't have any credits or anything else that was valuable enough. Perhaps he could still get his ass out of this situation somehow?
Jaris put up his most honest and charming smile and looked reassuring at the thug-leader, who kept turning the pistol in his hand.

"Guys, guys... I'm sure that Mass Coupler wasn't that bad... You surely must have broken it on your way back, still, I don't want to leave my customers unsatisfied..." he said.
The thug-leader lifted and eyebrow. Jaris felt the sweat appearing on his forehead... It was a good thing his hair could hide it a bit.

"Now, I will give you back the entire sum, okay? Five hundred credits, it was, right?" he continued.

The thug-leader stopped turning the pistol in his hand. "Make it eight hundred... We need some compensation for the trip here..." he said a bit threatening.

Eight hundred credits? Jaris smiled turned into a fake one, as he clenched his teeth. "Eight hundred credits? Okay, sure... The problem is that I don't have the money right with me now, so why don't you come back tomorrow, and I'll give it to you?" he said while backing out a bit.
The thug-leader pointed his pistol at Jaris, and smiled foul again.

"Ah, that's exactly what we thought you'd say... So that's why we brought these little things with us..." he said while suddenly grabbing a tube out of his pocket.
The two remaining thugs moved quickly towards Jaris and grabbed him, before he could run. Jaris tried to free himself, but due to his drunk state he wasn't able to. The thug-leader stepped forward and held the tube in front of Jaris' face, and immediately a sickening feeling went through him, as he recognized what was in there... Kouhun's...

"Come on guys, I... I really can give you the money tomorrow... I can even make it a thousand credits!" he said desperately.

The thugs laughed as their leader shook his head. "Nah, don't think so... We've been out on revenge actually..." he said while putting his hand on Jaris' shoulder.

"You see, the Mass Coupler you sold to us, not only destroyed our pod racer, but also killed our friend..." Jaris swallowed, as he knew he was screwed now.
The thug leader slowly moved his hand to the top of the tube. "... send him greets from us, Jaris Vamor..." he said while smiling dark.

"You'd better not open that tube..." suddenly a males voice said.

The thugs turned, and Jaris looked over the thug-leader's shoulder, and to his great surprise there stood a young man, probably around the age of twenty, dressed in a black jacket, grey shirt and dark trousers with dark-grey boots. His black hair were combed in a faux-hawk, and Jaris had to admit that he never had seen such intensive green eyes, and the dark of the night amplified that effect.

"Nah, I'd prefer to stay here and see how your corpse would look like, without a head..."

Wow, Jaris had to admit this man surely had some guts. Was he a Jedi, or something? Jaris didn't know much about the Jedi, but they surely never would make a threat like this one, right? Was this one of those Dark Jedi? Nah, there were no Dark Jedi in these times...
The two thugs let Jaris go, and grouped up with their leader. The thug-leader smiled dark, and flipped the tube open.

"Perhaps you should handle these first..." he said as two Kouhun's crawled out of the tube and fell on the ground, starting to move towards the man.

The man however, smiled dark and all of a sudden, the two Kouhun were lighten up and burned within seconds into ashes. The thugs looked frightened now, and Jaris almost got the urge to laugh at them.

"All the people who provoked me ended up the same... dead..." and all of a sudden he jumped towards them, slashing of the head of the thug-leader with his saber, and as the two other thugs fired at him, he deflected the blaster bolts and impaled them later with his saber, one by one.
As their bodies fell lifeless on the ground, the man turned off his lightsaber, and looked at Jaris with an emotionless face expression.

"Perhaps you should think twice, about who you set off... Next time there may be nobody to save you..." he said with a gentle voice.

The man smiled a bit as he shook his head. "I'm not a Jedi Master, not even a Jedi, I think..." he replied.

Jaris frowned while looking at the man. "You're not? Then how do you got the saber? Are you a Sith?" he asked slightly frightened.

The man laughed softly and shook his head again. "No, I'm not a Sith either... I'm just a man who is able to use the Force and wield a saber... I do not pick sides..." Jaris nodded understandingly.

"So you're one of those Gray Jedi, right?" he asked.

The man lifted his eyebrow, but nodded slightly. "I'd prefer not to give myself a title, but from your point of view, yes... I can be accounted to those who call themselves Gray Jedi..." was his answer.

Jaris nodded again, and inside of him he laughed a bit at the formal style of speaking this man used. "Okay, thanks again... err, what was your name?"

The man smiled and extended his right arm. Only now Jaris noticed he wore gloves, of which the fingers were exposed.

The man whose name appeared to be Suyark nodded while smiling slightly. "Yes, there is no need in knowing my last name... But if I'm not mistaken, then you are Jaris Vamor, right? The one who got out casted by his family?" Suyark asked.

Jaris sighed deeply and nodded. "So you've heard of it too?"

Suyark nodded. "Yes, it was difficult not to hear about it, since it was all over the Galactic news how Qorus and Gorola Vamor disinherited their son. One could say you're quite known around the Core worlds..."

Jaris sighed and the urge to return to his apartment became bigger now. He looked at Suyark and smiled slightly again.

"Okay, well, thanks for saving me... I owe you one..." he said and started walking away, as suddenly Suyark chuckled. "Indeed, you owe me one... so perhaps you could assist me in a certain matter? I heard you are quite handy when it comes to repairing stuff..."

Jaris felt where this was heading, and reluctantly turned, but put up a friendly smile. "What can I do for you?"

Suyark smiled pleased. "Well, I have some problems with my ship... I think there if something wrong with the hyper drive, because all systems shut down every time I try to ignite the engines. Perhaps you could come with me, and have a look at it?" he explained.

Jaris sighed deeply in his mind, as all he wanted was his bed now. But he owed Suyark his life, and since he didn't want to piss off someone with a lightsaber, Jaris figured he'd better do what Suyark asked him. "Okay sure, let's go..." he replied.

Suyark smiled satisfied again, as he clapped in his hands. "Excellent, follow me, it's not far from here..."